Lies. They can be so deceiving, yet so simple. We tell them to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or to make ourselves look better. But sometimes, the truth is just too hard to take. These poems about lies explore the different ways that they can hurt us and the people around us. Read on to see how these poets deal with lies in their lives.
1. The Boy Who Never Told a Lie by Anonymous
Once there was a little boy,
With curly hair and pleasant eye—
A boy who always told the truth,
And never, never told a lie.
And when he trotted off to school,
The children all about would cry,
“There goes the curly-headed boy—
The boy that never tells a lie.”
And everybody loved him so,
Because he always told the truth,
That every day, as he grew up,
‘Twas said, “There goes the honest youth.”
And when the people that stood near
Would turn to ask the reason why,
The answer would be always this:
“Because he never tells a lie.”
2. Why Children Lie by Anonymous
Confrontation is something other people do
I will lie my way into a corner and beyond the veil
So I do not have to have an altercation with anyone
I cannot fathom bickering or arguing
My parents taught me the value of silent disapproval
Wearing a pasted weirdo Cheshire Cat smile
You would rather lie than tell the truth, my husbands have said.
I have had six of them, and they were not wrong.
Why can’t you just say it like it happened?
Truthfully, I have been fabricating so long, I do not know the truth.
Truth could jump up and bite a giant hole in my cheek.
Yes, that cheek, and I would still lie.
I learned to lie as a young child,
Because I knew that lying might be a way out of a belt whipping.
There is a book called “Why Children Lie.”
We learn to lie if the punishments are too severe,
And we know telling the truth will be painful.
Spoiler alert. I have only had one husband, but I lie.
3. Lies by Caleb Jackson
Walking down the path of love, I’ve experienced many feelings.
Feelings like a heart beat skipping when I saw a simple twinkle in your eyes.
Every time I was with you, I could hear bells ring.
It was great, I enjoyed every moment with you. You said you did too, but it was a lie.
I put in the effort to be the best man for you, I wanted to see you smile.
I gave my heart to you, in hopes you would keep that in mind.
You said you loved me too, those words kept me happy for a while.
You said that you cared about me, that you would love me no matter what, but you lied.
You told me that every time you said “I love you” you meant it more.
You said that if I died, you would weep and cry.
You said to me that you loved me, but you threw me out the door.
Did you really mean everything you told me? All you did was lie.
Now, you don’t even want to think of me anymore.
You said many things to me, but they were lies.
I was walking down a road of thorns, for a flower that would never bloom.
I was really always loving alone, wasn’t I?
4. Against Lying by Isaac Watts
O’tis a lovely thing for youth
To early walk in wisdom’s way;
To fear a lie, to speak the truth,
That we may trust to all they say!
But liars we can never trust,
Even when they say what is true.
And he who does one fault at first
And lies to hide it, makes it two.
Have we not known, nor heard, nor read
How Gode does hate deceit and wrong?
How Ananias was struck dead,
Caught with a lie upon his tongue?
So did his wife Sapphira die,
When she came in, and grew so bold
As to confirm that wicked lie,
Which just before her husband told.
The Lord delights in them that speak
The words of truth; but every liar
Must have his portion in the lake
That burns with brimstone and with fire.
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5. Liar – a life of lies by Anonymous
One too many and all are gone
a jack of all trades but a master of none.
very personable yet his friends are few or none
he is many yet he is one
many faces, one on one
if you meet again that one is gone
he chooses his lies for the fun
a true relationship is only but a pun
a fabricated personality has won
but if you peel away too much he is done
he will turn tail and run
he is many, yet he is one…
6. The Boy and the Wolf by John Hookham Frere
A little Boy was set to keep
A little flock of goats or sheep;
He thought the task too solitary,
And took a strange perverse vagary:
To call the people out of fun,
To see them leave their work and run,
He cried and screamed with all his might, —
“Wolf! wolf!” in a pretended fright.
Some people, working at a distance,
Came running in to his assistance.
They searched the fields and bushes round,
The Wolf was nowhere to be found.
The Boy, delighted with his game,
A few days after did the same,
And once again the people came.
The trick was many times repeated,
At last they found that they were cheated.
One day the Wolf appeared in sight,
The Boy was in a real fright,
He cried, “Wolf! wolf!” — the neighbors heard,
But not a single creature stirred.
“We need not go from our employ, —
‘Tis nothing but that idle boy.”
The little Boy cried out again,
“Help, help! the Wolf!” he cried in vain.
At last his master came to beat him.
He came too late, the Wolf had eat him.
This shows the bad effect of lying,
And likewise of continual crying.
If I had heard you scream and roar,
For nothing, twenty times before,
Although you might have broke your arm,
Or met with any serious harm,
Your cries could give me no alarm;
They would not make me move the faster,
Nor apprehend the least disaster;
I should be sorry when I came,
But you yourself would be to blame.
7. Of Lies And Deceit by Persian Khushi
Words that break down
Life changing decisions
Haunting daily
A life on hold
Why the truth untold
For whose benefit?
Who decided?
But life continues
With memories haunting
When sleep won’t come
And early rays of the sun appear
So the memories fade they say
More lies
For one learns to live
With these memories
Of lies and deceit
8. Truth And Lies by Louise Witwit
When explanations are hard to produce
Lie after lie comes shining through
Truth gets locked away
For reasons only known to yourself
Truth may hurt
but the lie hurts more
one lie to cover another
what was the first lie
can you remember?
So much hurt and
too many lies
whats the truth
will I ever know
can I ever separate the two?
9. White Lies by Anonymous
White lies
That are still lies
In disguise
But I am tired of the cries
Tired of not feeling anything special when I look into your eyes
Time flies
Time also made me wise
So many times, I agonized
A bit hypnotized
But not surprised
I guess it was late when I realized
I was already mentally paralyzed
I compromised
The more I analyzed
The more I became mesmerized
Disorganized and mortified
With your white lies
That are still lies
Just in disguise
10. A World Of Lies by Judy Emery
A world of lies
playing on the minds even in ancient time,
poets and all kinds of writers has a message
to give and to forgive;
in a world of darkness, you must try hard
to find the light of what is right,
A world of lies hold an ancient message that
may come in poetry or even in darken dreams.
Stories are being told from the young and the old,
they do stand bold in a world so cold,
Poets have been writing long ago to touch the souls,
The good or the bad;
Poets holds an ancient message to all those who
can reads or hears;
the message could hold tears and fears;
or love that can shine so bright
even on the darkest nights.
The poets and the writers of all types
Can play upon the minds
in the words, they chose to use
to write out their hidden messages;
Just to get their job done.
In a world of lies It’s hard to find the ones that are right
So, listen close to the famous lines
they can come to you in many ways
even in darken dreams.
11. A Boy That Told a Lie by Lowell Mason
The mother looked pale, and her face was sad;
She seemed to have nothing to make her glad;
She silently sat with the tears in her eye,
For her dear little boy had told a lie.
He was a gentle, affectionate child;
His ways were winning, his temper was mild;
There was love and joy in the soft blue eye,
But the dear little boy had told a lie.
He stood alone by the window within,
For he felt that his soul was stained with sin;
And his mother could hear him sob and cry,
Because he had told her that wicked lie.
Then he came and stood by his mother’s side,
And asked for a kiss, which she denied;
While he promised with many a penitent sigh,
That he never would tell another lie.
So she bade him before her kneel gently down,
And took his soft hands within her own,
And she kissed his cheek as he looked on high
And prayed to be pardoned for telling that lie.
Final thoughts
Liars often think they are smarter than everyone else, but their lies always catch up with them in the end. The poems in this collection illustrate that fact perfectly and remind us all to be truthful no matter what the cost.
If you want to see more poems like this, check out Poem Home.
Thomas Dao is the guy who created Poem Home, a website where people can read about all things poetry related. When he’s not busy working on his next project, you can find him reading a good book or spending time with family and friends.
